BloomTracker: Wildflower Finder & Protector from Hilltromper

Over at Hilltromper, “the nature-worshiping, fun-loving adventure guide” that serves the South Bay, Santa Cruz County, and anyone who visits these beautiful places, our friend Mike Kahn has just launched a new product he named BloomTracker. It is “an online resource that helps you find the best places to see wildflowers, in real time, and helps reduce impacts on parks and other open spaces.”

Kahn, Hilltromper’s Managing Director, reports that the “superbloom” of 2023 got him thinking: “Seeing all of the excitement about wildflowers last spring, and seeing people getting out and feeling connected to nature, that’s the super-positive side of the superbloom—I love it. And on the flip side, the challenges of people stomping over fields and sitting in (and on) the flowers for selfies, picking flowers—these actions present serious challenges for the land and land managers. Neighbors who live near areas that get discovered suddenly have to deal with traffic, noise and trash. Not good.”

That’s why BloomTracker requires users to make a promise. “Accessing BloomTracker begins with having people sign a Respect Wildflowers Pledge upfront, committing to staying on trails, not picking flowers, respecting their neighbors—messaging that most people obviously know. (Although as someone once said, common sense isn't always common practice.) We’re hoping to help get a sustainable mindset in place, to help create a supportive environment for nature and for the community.”

Learn more about BloomTracker and Hilltromper here.

(Proud disclaimer: Hilltromper was founded by yours truly and my wife, the brilliant journalist Traci Hukill.)